One Week Down!

Week one of training is officially complete!  Let's see how week one went down...

Monday - Rest day, but ended up doing a boot camp class at the Y

Tuesday - 3.14 miles at Cobb's Hill

Wednesday - 1.5 miles on the dreadmill

Thursday - 3.83 miles

Friday - Rest

Saturday - 7.02 miles at FF Ridgeway

Sunday - Yoga class at the Y

Total Miles - 15.49;  Scheduled Miles - 16

Not too shabby for the first week back from the Black Plague.  I still don't really feel like I'm officially in training yet, since my run volume hasn't really increased much.  It is nice to have a schedule to follow though, and I'm sure as the next couple of weeks go by I'll start to really feel like a marathoner-in-training!

Yesterday was my first long run of training... actually, it was my first long run since September.  I hadn't ran more than 10k since the Rochester Marathon Relay at the beginning of September... woof.  Given that, yesterday's run was surprisingly a really good one!

I ran from Fleet Feet with Steph and Laura and after the first couple of miles with the group, we set off on our own route.  It was relatively flat with some rolling hills and thank goodness for Pandora because it was definitely not the most scenic of runs.  Carly Rae Jepson and the Biebs also helped distract from the frigidness around us...

frozen hair!!!

It was overall a really great run and was a good confidence booster to end my miles for week one!

This morning it was off the the Y for my new favorite Sunday morning routine... Yoga!  Never would I have thought that I would be saying that!  

The instructor is amazing (I made BFF's with her after class today) and I just feel like I am in my element.  Which is weird considering I didn't even know I had a yoga element.  But seriously, finding the right class and right instructor makes all the difference -- Eva at the Y, you have my yogi heart until the end of time.

To top my fantastic week off, I made one of my best purchases to date:

hot pink kicks!

It was time for a new pair of gym/cross training shoes and these babies were on super sale at Kohl's.  How could I pass up a new pair of kicks in my favorite color?!  Bargain shopping for the win.

So with week one in the books, that means only 17 more to go!  Week two, I'm ready for ya!

I Can't Put My Arms Down!

Leave it to my luck that the first real week of training, is the week that temperatures plummet to single digits.  It's a good thing I was antsy to run after my sick hiatus, otherwise it would have been realll hard to get out the door this week!

Tuesday was my first run back since being sick.  Since I took the whole time off I was sick, it had been eleven whole days without running.  I was worried that I was going to die from losing fitness, but it actually turned out to be a good run.

It was bitterly cold and the first half of the run was into the wind.  I'm not kidding you guys, my face felt like it was going to fall off.  The wind was just brutal!  We got in 3 miles and, freezing temperature aside, I felt fantastic the whole run.  Definitely on the slow side, but I'll take it considering my 11 day break!

Yesterday I had a personal training appointment at the gym I go to, so I decided to stick around after my appointment to get in my miles on the treadmill.  Now, you all know my feelings about the treadmill.  The ONLY reason I willingly chose to run on it yesterday was purely convenience and time's sake.  And, as predicted, it was just as boring and brutal as I remembered.  I literally had to pep talk myself to get through 20 minutes.  1.5 miles?  Sounds good to me for today!

After reaffirming my hatred for the treadmill yesterday, it was time to embrace the 10 degree weather today and get used to the bitter cold.  It was even colder today than Tuesday so I got extra serious about my layering to stay warm.

this is what 2 pairs of pants, 4 shirts and 2 pairs of gloves looks like.
i'm ready for ya, mother nature.

I was so layered up, this is what I felt like:

Even with a 12 inch thick barrier of clothes, it was still a darn cold.  I ran with Emily and she was chatty the whole time which was fine by me because my lungs were too busy shrinking in the cold to talk.  Because of the roads we ran on, we had to stay on the sidewalk about 80% of the run and naturally, the sidewalk was nicely layered with snow.  We pretended we were just running in the sand along the beach, and the sound of our feet crunching the snow was the waves of the ocean.  That fun lasted for oh about 30 seconds.

We got in a little under 4 miles at a 13 minute pace exactly, and let me tell you... I feel like I worked my butt off for those miles and that pace!  Running on snow always makes for a solid workout.  Right as we were near the end, we were both ready to be done and complaining and as we were running by a restaurant, some lady yelled to us "you girls are great!"  It's like she knew we needed some positive energy!  Thanks for keeping us going lady!

Tomorrow is a rest day and it is much needed.  Saturday will be my first long run in... a long time.  Seven miles are on the agenda and the temps are supposed to be in the 20's -- heat wave baby!  See ya after the seven!

That Time I Tried Something New...

...And actually liked it.  Who would have thought?!

For anyone that knows me, I can be... "fussy" about trying new things.  I am all about trying something new and will go at it 100%... but that doesn't mean there won't be some complaining and judging beforehand.

I don't like not being good at things.  I don't like not knowing what I'm doing.  When it comes to exercise, I don't like having to think about what's going on.  That's why I run.  Lace up the sneaks and go.  The most tedious thing I need to figure out on my run is whether I want to snot rocket at this corner or the next one.

Anyways, Becca has been trying to get me into yoga class for a few weeks now.  I've done yoga before and each time has been a disaster.  I don't find it relaxing, I don't find it motivating and my body just isn't meant to move and jive like that.

So, yesterday morning I finally bit the bullet and ventured into yoga class at the Y.  I figured I'd give it another shot.... really just so Becca would stop nagging me about it.  And, shockingly... I enjoyed it!  The instructor was awesome and helped us adapt the poses at our own pace and ability.  It was challenging and definitely not 60 minutes of full "zen" - but it was by far the best yoga experience I've had.  Dare I say I'll be back again?

After yesterday's success, I joined Becca tonight at the Y yet again for a new-to-me class.  The official name of the class was "Power Performance Boot Camp" -- yeah, way out of my comfort zone.  Give me cardio all day long but strength training... not really my jam.

Dr. Dan would have been SO proud of me for doing this class.  I haven't lunged and push-up'd and mountain climbed and crunched and high knee'd so much... ever.  It was hard, I felt like I was in high school gym class, and it kicked my butt.  BUT... I enjoyed it!  It was fast paced and doing it with a friend made it more fun and bearable.

So would you look at that.  Two days, two new experiences, and two positive outcomes.  Who would have thought.

awkwardly taken picture trying to capture the YMCA in the background. we are so cool.

How to Survive the Black Plague

Nine whole days out of commission and I've learned a thing or two about how to (mostly) survive being knocked on my butt by the flu.

Lesson 1:  Don't freak out that you missed an entire week of running and working out.

Week one of training is a wash.  No getting around it.  Embrace the week of the black plague and put a big ol' X thru week one on the calendar.

Lesson 2:  Rely on your friends!

Obviously I didn't learn lesson one on my own.  These three ladies below have been the lifelines keeping me sane.

Freaking out about missing a hill run?  Text Steph, she'll calm me down.  Going stir crazy because I can't leave the house?  Call Emily, she'll take me to get some fresh air for a few hours.  Having a conniption thinking that missing one week of training sabotages my whole marathon plan?  Speed dial my therapist Becca, she'll bring me back to reality.

Lesson 3:  No mater how old you are, you're never too old for mom's sympathy.

Not as good as homemade soup and mama bringing you meds, but daily phone calls letting me cry and complain somehow makes me feel just a little bit better.

Mama! Obviously sporting a Molly's Miles shirt!

Lesson 4:  Don't let your boredom get the best of you.  

You can only watch SVU marathons and read running blogs so long until your new favorite game Bejeweled starts calling your name.

No big deal, right?  Until you play it for nine days straight, and you start to see the jewels when you close your eyes.  And you are SO bored that you even debate paying real money for extra coins.

Do people actually pay for this junk?
I WAS ALMOST ONE OF THOSE PEOPLE.

Lesson 5: When you start to feel better, EASE back into the physical activity.

This may sound pretty DUH, but it was really tempting today to lace up and go out for a run.  Today was the first day I woke up without feeling like a mack truck was sitting on my chest, so I knew I wanted to get some physical movement in. 

I hit the gym and forced myself to walk -- not run yet -- on the treadmill.  I even brought my iPad so I could watch my new favorite TV show on NBC.

Please disregard my pile of dirty tissues in the cup holder

I set the incline to 1% and the speed to 3mph and I was on my merry way.  The two girls on either side of me were running all speedy and I tried not to give them jealous dirty looks.  I walked my way through 35 minutes and let me tell you... I was tired at the end of it!  My body hadn't walked more than 100 feet in the last week and a half and here I was walking for a half hour.  Yeah, nap time happened when I got home.

1.68 miles on the week!  Woohoo!

SO moral of the story is I am well on my way back to health.  Definitely not 100%, but making enough progress to move off my couch and stop playing Bejeweled everyday.  I may not have logged any running miles my first week of training, but man was it a lesson in my mental toughness!  I've got 18 weeks ahead of me, and enough lessons learned this week thankyouverymuch that these next 18 weeks should be a breeze, right?!

Training Day One

According to my almighty training plan that I spent hours slaving over (just kidding, my buddy Hal did all the work for me), three glorious miles were supposed to be on tap to kick off marathon training today.

I had dreams last night of waking up this morning feeling miraculously better and galavanting through the streets for three miles this evening.  Sadly, the black plague is still inhabiting my body and I still feel like I got hit by a bus.  After begrudgingly listening to the advice of my older wiser running friends, I sacked my run today and logged a grand total of zero miles.

It hurt my heart a little bit to trade in my gatorade and clif bar for OJ and meds.  

The closest I got to running today was reading Runner's World magazine.  I thought maybe it would be a good second best, but it really just made me more depressed reading about running when I was sick on the couch.

What else does a sidelined wanna-be marathon runner do when they can't run?  Oh, read more about running.  After I read RW cover to cover, I spent the next portion of my afternoon checking up on all my favorite running blogs.

...Because reading about other people who are enjoying their runs today while you're on your deathbed is a sure-fire way to spiral yourself into full on "woe is me" mode.  And you know what happens when your endorphins are just waiting to fire and you're too sick to move?

You register for another race to add to your training calendar.  Because reading about other people running and registering for races is a great way to train for a marathon, right?

That's what I'm telling myself for the time being so that I don't have a full blown anxiety attack.  Training aside, I think I'm realizing how much I take running for granted... Five days without a run and I am going stir crazy - mentally AND physically!  

In the mean time, USA network knows that the second best way to calm me down is with a Law and Order SVU marathon.  Focusing on Elliott Stabler for hours on end makes it a little easier to forget about not running.

It's taking all my might not to gear up and go out and wing it for a run.  But I still have 4 months worth of training that I need to be 100% healthy for so for once in my life my self-control is superseding my impulsiveness.  Mom, look how grown up I am.

So for now, I'm keeping myself in quarantine and letting myself get better.  Hopefully I will back in working order this week so I can get some miles in before week one is officially over.  Time to pull it together, immune system!  This marathon ain't gonna run on it's own!

It's MARATHON Time!!

After a brief blogging hiatus, I am back and ready to jump into marathon training 2013!

2012 was quite the year.... I ran and biked a total of 1,257 miles, participated in 23 races, ran my first half marathon and set a new 5k pr.  Never in a million years would I have imagined I would accomplish any of those things.

...And never in a million years would I have imagined that I would starting off 2013 by training for a marathon!  I've been building my base mileage the past few weeks and am ready as I'll ever be for training to start today.

Now what would a good training cycle be if it didn't already get off to a rocky start?  I can tell you one person who is not on board with my training plans: my immune system.  Yep, I've spent the past 72 hours rotating between my bed and my couch, with this being my scenery:

Good thing training today starts with a rest day.  Best training plan ever.  Hopefully this nice weather stays around for a while, because the snow can seriously cramp my style.

You know you have great running friends when, instead of helping you up when you fall, they stop to take pictures.  Thumbs up.

My goal is to update this at least once a week so I can document my miles, my laughs, and inevitably my tears and frustrations, to 26.2.  I had such a blast documenting and reliving my half marathon training, so why not continue it for marathon training?!  Here's to the next 18 weeks on the road to Buffalo!